According to advance data from the 2000 census, 57 per cent of Singapore residents have post-secondary qualifications -- 15 percentage points more than 42 per cent just 10 years ago.

While almost a third of residents had no qualifications 10 years ago, their numbers have come down to a fifth. And for Singapore citizens, one in 10 now have university qualifications, compared with one in 25 10 years ago. The number of people with upper secondary and polytechnic qualifications has also increased, from 11 per cent to 21 per cent.

All ethnic groups have made good progress, says the report, released Nov 10. There has been a 15 per cent rise in the number of Chinese with secondary or higher qualifications. For Malays, the increase is 14 per cent and for Indians, it is 21 per cent.

Residents with university qualifications have more than doubled in each ethnic group. Among Chinese, 13 per cent have university qualifications in 2000. Among Malays, the figure is 2 per cent. And among Indians, it is 16.5 per cent -- or four times what it was in 1990.

While a third of permanent residents are university graduates, only a 10th of Singapore citizens are. The difference is similar to that 10 years ago. But half of Indian permanent residents are university graduates now, compared with a tenth in 1990.

Young Singapore residents are also better educated. In 2000, 81.6 per cent of residents aged between 25 and 35 have at least secondary qualifications, compared with 56.6 per cent 10 years ago. The proportion of polytechnic graduates among this group has risen from 5 to 11 per cent, and that of university graduates from 7 per cent to 24 per cent.